Written Answers

Tuesday 13 June 2000

Scottish Executive

Agriculture

Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how the roles of the Consumers’ Committee and the related Committee of Investigation for Great Britain have developed since they were established under the Agricultural Marketing Act 1958.

Ross Finnie: The Consumers’ Committee for Great Britain was established under section 19 of the Agricultural Marketing Act 1958 to ensure that the interests of consumers were taken into account in the operation of statutory agricultural marketing schemes. In the past such schemes have covered bacon, pigs, hops, milk, tomatoes and cucumbers, wool, potatoes and eggs. As a result of changes in agricultural policy over the years, only one such scheme now remains and this relates to wool. The role of the Consumers’ Committee has therefore been reduced to consideration of this final scheme. The committee have considered the consumer implications of the wool marketing scheme and took the view that it had very little effect on the consumer, essentially as price and supply of wool are determined largely by world trade factors.

  It is also a requirement of section 19 of the Agricultural Marketing Act 1958 that there should be a Committee of Investigation which considers and reports to Ministers on specific complaints referred to it about the operation of agricultural marketing schemes. The last meeting of the committee was over ten years ago.

  Since the passing of the 1958 Act, communication between consumers and Ministers and officials are greatly improved. For example consumers organisations feature on all lists of bodies to be consulted about the Executive’s legislation plans on a wide range of business areas. The decision to have a Food Standards Agency was a specific response to consumer concerns. The Scottish arm of the agency, located in Aberdeen, took on responsibility for food safety and food standards matters in Scotland from 1 April 2000. An early priority for the agency will be to establish close links with consumer bodies and other interest groupings.

  Both committees operate on a UK basis and under legislation introduced as a result of the Scotland Act are specified as cross border public authorities. As ministerial responsibilities for the committees are exercised jointly, the Executive, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Welsh Assembly are currently considering whether the Agricultural Marketing Act 1958 should be amended in order to wind-up the committees. In the meantime a joint decision has been taken not to reappoint members to the committees and to leave them in abeyance until a decision is made on the legislation.

Community Care

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people are awaiting assessment for residential care and for nursing home care in each local authority area.

Mr Iain Gray: The information requested is not held centrally.

Electricity

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has held with Her Majesty’s Government about setting targets for the amount of electricity to be generated by Combined Heat and Power (CHP) schemes in Scotland and any implications this may have for the creation of new power stations; which CHP schemes are already in operation, and which CHP schemes have been proposed and are awaiting decisions by it or local authorities.

Henry McLeish: The Scottish Executive will work together with Her Majesty’s Government so that Scotland will make its contribution towards the overall UK target of 10,000 MWe by 2010.

  There are approximately 60 CHP schemes in Scotland with a total capacity of around 400 MW, representing almost 10% of the UK’s current CHP capacity.

Engineering Industry

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are being taken to discourage any graduate leakage from engineering into other careers.

Henry McLeish: There may be a number of reasons why students choose not to pursue a career in their choice of subject following graduation. According to latest figures available, 75% of engineering graduates who obtain full-time permanent employment, either in the UK or abroad, do so in an engineering-related career.

  We recognise that it is important that we continue to attract skilled graduates into engineering. The Manufacturing Image Group which I launched recently will look at new and innovative ways of improving the image and development of manufacturing in Scotland. The group will draw up a campaign to show that manufacturing is exciting, challenging and has a strong role to play in our future. It will also outline ways of driving forward the future development of manufacturing throughout Scotland.

Engineering Industry

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what initiatives are being taken to attract young people into engineering.

Henry McLeish: Scottish Ministers are determined to break down the old barriers to participation in careers in engineering. A number of Career Service companies are now tackling stereotype images through project work with children from primary six and seven. These projects introduce young people to a range of jobs through employer visits to schools and project work and are designed to broaden perceptions of the range of careers available.

  Young people can also pursue careers in engineering through the Modern Apprenticeship programme. Scottish Engineering produces an annual newspaper advertising Modern Apprenticeships, Scottish Engineering Connections, which is distributed to schools and FE colleges across Scotland. There are currently almost 3,300 Modern Apprentices training in engineering in Scotland.

  The Scottish Executive’s recent publication Created in Scotland: the Way Forward for Scottish Manufacturing in the 21st Century outlines the problems in attracting young people into manufacturing industry and, in particular, engineering. I have established a Manufacturing Image Group which met for the first time on 2 June to form a campaign to raise the image of manufacturing industries.

Environment

Shona Robison (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make a statement about the safety of incinerators, taking into account recent reports from the USA that European standards on the levels of harmful chemicals which may be emitted into the atmosphere from industrial processes may not be sufficiently safe.

Sarah Boyack: The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a draft report on dioxins in the environment in 1994. Following substantial criticisms of the basis for its recommendations from many sources, including the UK Government, the EPA has undertaken further analysis. We understand the final report will be published in the summer. We will wait to see what the new report says, and in particular whether it has addressed any of the serious criticisms the UK raised, before commenting on its implications.

  The Scottish Executive will consider the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) re-evaluation of the safe level for human exposure as soon as the scientific evidence and justification for its decision are made publicly available by WHO.

Equal Opportunities

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what responses it has had to its consultation on Towards an Equality Strategy .

Jackie Baillie: The Executive has received nearly 200 responses to its consultation. A full report of those responses has now been prepared and I have today arranged for it to be made available to SPICe.

Europe

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what specific targets and outputs, in relation to raising Scotland’s profile in the European Union, Scotland House in Brussels is aiming to achieve.

Mr Jack McConnell: My answer to question S1W-4409 set out the wide range of activities being undertaken by Scotland House to raise Scotland’s profile in the European Union. Outputs for these activities should include:

  Increased knowledge and awareness of Scotland within the EU Institutions, and vice versa

  Increased Scottish influence within the EU

  Close working links with other EU nations and regions through their Brussels-based offices

  Together with Scotland Europa, organising policy seminars in Scotland House

  Supporting locally organised Scottish events (e.g. in Belgium and in the Netherlands)

Fire Service

Mr Alex Salmond (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has received from fire brigades on the policy of water authorities in rural areas to reduce pressure in water mains, and thereby the flow, in order to reduce losses through leakage and what assessment has been made of the effects which this could have on the ability of fire brigades to draw water in rural areas.

Angus MacKay: I have received no representations from fire brigades on this matter, either directly or through the Scottish Central Fire Brigades Advisory Council.

Genetically Modified Crops

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had directly with Advanta or via Her Majesty’s Government regarding the sale of GM contaminated seeds to Scottish farmers.

Ross Finnie: My officials have had discussions with Advanta by telephone and participated in a meeting with Advanta and the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on 1 June.

Genetically Modified Crops

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what avenues it is exploring with regard to compensation for both the buying of GM contaminated seeds by Scottish farmers and the sowing and destruction of the crop in Scotland.

Ross Finnie: Compensation is being addressed directly between Advanta and farmers’ representatives, who will work out the precise details.

Genetically Modified Crops

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what systems are now in place to ensure that GM crops are not grown commercially in Scotland and whether further measures are to be introduced.

Ross Finnie: Before a genetically modified crop may be grown commercially in the UK it must meet the rigorous requirements of European and UK legislation. A number of GM crops have passed all the regulatory hurdles and could be grown commercially in the UK today. However, the Scottish Executive and the UK Government have reached agreement with the biotechnology industry that there will be no commercial growing of any crops until the results of the farm scale evaluations have been fully assessed. This will be 2003 at the earliest. At that stage we will have the sound scientific information to enable decisions to be taken on whether additional measures are necessary.

Health

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to increase the number of consultants in specialities where there is currently a shortage of qualified and available doctors.

Susan Deacon: In order to become a consultant in any specialty, a doctor must gain a place in the Specialist Registrar (SpR) grade and therefore gain their Certificate of Completion of Specialist Training (CCST). This period of training lasts at least five years.

  The numbers of SpR posts are determined annually. Health boards are asked to forecast their consultant needs for the following five years, reflecting the health needs of the populations they serve and their plans for developing services. This information, as well as information from the Scottish Advisory Committee on the Medical Workforce (SACMW) and other interested parties is the basis of the decisions on SpR posts. The decisions for this year are contained in Management Executive Letter (MEL) (2000) 24 which was issued to the NHS on 28 April 2000.

  The annual exercise provides the opportunity to establish new SpR posts in particular specialties. It should also be remembered that during their training period doctors are working within the NHS and are providing a valuable service, although they are not yet consultants. This year’s exercise provided for increases in some of the shortage specialties.

Health

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to use expertise available within the Yorkhill NHS Trust to develop a strategic plan for child services in Scotland.

Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive is committed to improving child health and children’s health services across Scotland. In order to achieve this the best use will be made of expertise from all areas of the health service in Scotland.

Health

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many radiographers have been trained in the use of ultrasound equipment in the last 12 months.

Susan Deacon: This information is not held centrally.

Health

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive where radiographers and other hospital staff can study for a diploma in Ultrasound.

Susan Deacon: The College of Radiographers has advised that in Scotland the Robert Gordon University (Aberdeen) offers an accredited postgraduate diploma in Medical Ultrasound.

Health

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many training courses in the use of ultrasound equipment are available to radiographers and where these training courses are based.

Susan Deacon: The College of Radiographers has advised that one higher education institution in Scotland, The Robert Gordon University (Aberdeen) offers postgraduate training leading to a postgraduate certificate, postgraduate diploma or MSc in Medical Ultrasound. There are 20 other accredited medical ultrasound courses in England, Wales and Ireland.

  The training at Robert Gordon University is university based for the academic block weeks, which are interspersed with clinical experience.

Health

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the staffing levels in all areas of Fife Primary Healthcare NHS Trust are at an adequate level to reduce waiting lists.

Susan Deacon: Fife Primary Care NHS Trust is responsible for determining the level of staff employed.

Health

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether funding for the Fife Primary Care NHS Trust is adequate to meet all the needs of all the services provided by the Trust.

Susan Deacon: The level of funding provided to Fife NHS Trusts is based on the Health Improvement Programme for Fife and is a matter for Fife Health Board to determine with the Acute and Primary Care Trusts.

Highlands and Islands Airports

Maureen Macmillan (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive why the runway at Wick Airport has fallen into a state of disrepair, given that funds for its upkeep should be available from the Highlands and Islands Airports Limited block grant.

Sarah Boyack: Recent engineers’ reports for Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL) identified that the substrate of the main runway at Wick Airport had deteriorated more rapidly than had been anticipated. In addition, HIAL is also faced with implementing additional regulatory requirements which need to be accommodated if current operational standards are to be maintained. The financial implications of these were the subject of discussions between the company and the Scottish Executive. On 30 May, I announced additional funding to the company of £2 million to ensure the resurfacing work of the main runway in the current financial year.

Home Safety

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider imposing on local authorities a statutory duty to promote home safety and ensure that necessary funding is provided for this function.

Susan Deacon: We have no present plans to do so.

Housing

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made on preparations for the Housing Bill including on its documents Housing and Anti-Social Behaviour – The Way Ahead and A New Single Housing Tenancy for Scotland: Rights, Obligations and Opportunities .

Ms Wendy Alexander: In December we published our initial proposals to tackle anti-social behaviour amongst tenants and to introduce a single social tenancy with an associated modernised right to buy. We have carried out extensive consultation on our proposals including the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities.

  I am pleased to announce that our detailed legislative proposals on this and other housing matters will be set out in a forthcoming consultation paper to be published in early July. This will begin a period of consultation on a comprehensive range of housing proposals including the reshaping of Scottish Homes into an Executive Agency with a stronger regulatory role for local authorities in housing planning and investment in their areas. In addition, I will be making a number of related statements over the summer and autumn on other action that we will take in relation to anti-social behaviour and to promote common housing registers.

  Our proposals for a modernised right to buy as part of enhanced tenancy rights have been the subject of a much detailed discussion and I will set out the outcome of these discussions shortly. We are on track to introduce a Housing Bill in the second year of the Parliament.

Housing

Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the membership of the National Steering Group announced as part of the Rural Partnership for Change Initiative in March.

Ms Wendy Alexander: As I announced in March, the National Steering Group will monitor the Rural Partnership for Change Initiative pilot, led by Highland Council. In particular, the group will help to identify any general lessons to emerge from the pilot to address shortages of affordable housing in pressured rural areas, such as innovative measures to tackle constraints on new development due to shortages of available land and high development costs or the development of appropriate criteria to identify pressured areas.

  I am pleased to announce the following membership of the National Steering Group and hope that this partnership, representing a wide range of housing interests, will be successful in developing a new approach to tackling the housing problems faced by our rural communities.

  Canon Lewis Shand Smith (Chair), Scottish Homes

  Councillor Gary Coutts, Highland Council

  Councillor Charles Forbes, Clackmannanshire Council

  Catherine Jamieson, Moray Council

  David Chalmers, Dunfermline Building Society

  Professor Robina Goodlad, University of Glasgow

  Stuart Nichol, Scottish Homes

  Andrew Bradford, Scottish Landowners’ Federation

  Di Alexander, Scottish Federation of Housing Associations

  Scottish Building Employers Federation

  Scottish Executive

  The group will be supported by Scottish Homes.

Income

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual rise in (a) the average earnings of public sector workers and (b) overall average earnings was in Scotland in each year since 1979 and is estimated to be in each future year for which forecasts are available, and how each of these figures compares to the equivalent UK figure.

Mr Jack McConnell: The following table shows the average annual increases in gross weekly earnings 1 in (a) the public sector and (b) all sectors for Scotland and Great Britain over the period for which comparable data is available. UK figures are not available.

  Table 1: Average annual increase in gross weekly earnings (£)

  

 

Public 
Sector


All 
Sectors



 

Scotland


GB


Scotland


GB




1986-87


10.6


9.0


9.6


11.9




1987-88


12.4


14.2


13.4


16.7




1988-89


25.9


22.7


16.3


19.2




1989-90


9.1


8.9


18.7


19.4




1990-91


19.0


22.3


18.8


18.2




1991-92


9.4


15.4


17.3


15.3




1992-93


18.9


11.4


7.3


9.9




1993-94


5.6


12.4


0.2


4.6




1994 - 95


7.9


6.8


11.4


10.9




1995-96


7.9


8.4


10.1


10.1




1996-97


8.9


9.1


8.5


12.6




1997-98


8.8


9.8


12.2


14.9




1998-99


16.8


12.2


14.1


11.9




  Source: Office for National Statistics.

  Notes:

  1. Estimates relate to all employees on adult rates, whose pay for the survey period was unaffected by absence.

Justice

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-5188 by Mr Jim Wallace on 23 March 2000, whether the decrease in the number of prosecutions for littering offences between 1990 and 1998 has been accompanied by an actual decrease in littering and whether it will introduce a policy of zero tolerance of littering.

Sarah Boyack: Information on the incidence of littering is not held centrally. Responsibility for enforcing litter law in public places generally lies with local authorities and it is for them to decide what priority to accord to keeping their areas free of litter. We expect them to follow the Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse , statutory guidance published jointly by The Scottish and Welsh Offices, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions and Department for Education and Employment in 1999.

  We consider that existing legislation is adequate to deal with offenders. We acknowledge that littering is a social problem which we believe is best tackled by educating the public as a whole. We pay core grant to Keep Scotland Beautiful (amounting to £234,000 for 2000-01) in recognition of the anti-litter and other community environment campaigns which it runs and to assist it in providing practical training to local authority personnel on combating litter and fly-tipping.

Justice

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what targets are imposed on the Scottish Legal Services Ombudsman in respect of appropriate timescales for the handling of complaints.

Mr Jim Wallace: None at present, but performance is monitored and the staffing resources of the office of the Scottish Legal Services Ombudsman have been increased to reduce the time taken to handle complaints.

Justice

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether a greater emphasis on the rehabilitation of offenders and greater use of alternatives to custody could reduce or reverse the projected year-on-year growth in the Scottish prison population and, if so, whether it will review its approach to the rehabilitation of offenders and the use of alternatives to custody.

Mr Jim Wallace: The emphasis which the Scottish Executive already places on ensuring courts have access to a wide range of alternatives to custody is clearly demonstrated in the increase in funding from £35.4 million in 1998-99 to the £44 million planned for 2001-02. The considerable extra investment which this represents is being directed at interventions which ensure that the courts have a wide range of options available. A number of new initiatives such as the Restriction of Liberty Order and the Drug Treatment and Testing Order are being piloted at present. These new community sentences plus the substantial additional resources being provided underline our commitment to provide and fund alternatives to custody.

Local Government

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were employed by local authorities in the north east in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority.

Mr Frank McAveety: The information requested is only available from local government reorganisation in 1996 and is shown in the table below.

  Number of full-time equivalent staff1 for those local authorities contained wholly or partly in the North East Parliamentary Region from December 1996 to September 1999.

  


Council


December
19962


December 1997


December 1998


September 19993




Aberdeenshire


8,547


7,647


7,743


7,812




Aberdeen City


8,472


8,462


8,589


8,798




Angus


3,934


3,979


4,059


4,165




Dundee City


7,683


7,619


7,627


7,280




Moray


3,300


2,990


3,203


3,170




Perth & Kinross


4,552


4,448


4,475


4,447




  Source: Drawn from local authority staffing surveys compiled jointly by the Scottish Executive and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities.

  Notes:

  1. Figures for full-time equivalent staff exclude staff in fire services, police services, Bridge Joint Boards and Valuation Joint Boards.

  2. Following local government reorganisation some councils encountered problems in producing reliable data.

  3. The latest quarter for which information is available.

Local Government

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to rescind the 19B notice served on North Lanarkshire Council Direct Labour Organisation, given the change in its financial performance.

Mr Frank McAveety: None. The Direction will remain until North Lanarkshire’s Business Plan for recovery is achieved.

Marine Pollution

Mr Alex Salmond (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking, following the publication of the National Contingency Plan for Marine Pollution from Shipping and Offshore Installations, to introduce statutory responsibility with allocated funding for local authorities such as Aberdeenshire to test pollution response contingency plans.

Sarah Boyack: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) of the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR) is responsible for maintaining the National Contingency Plan for Marine Pollution from Shipping and Offshore Installations. The Merchant Shipping Act 1995, which is entirely reserved to Westminster, provides the legislative basis for the plan and policy responsibility for the matters that it covers rests with DETR. On the question of the local authority role in dealing with shoreline pollution, I understand that Lord Macdonald, Minister for Transport at the DETR, will shortly be writing about this matter to the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and the Local Government Association of England and Wales.

  Advice and assistance is already provided by the MCA to local authorities concerning their contingency plans. The MCA also provides training for appropriate staff employed by Scottish local authorities likely to be involved in oil spill response. When there is sufficient demand, courses covering purely Scottish requirements are held in Scotland.

Marine Pollution

Mr Alex Salmond (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to underwrite local authority costs in relation to coastal clean-up operations in view of the high costs associated with the MV Braer and MV Sea Empress.

Sarah Boyack: Several arrangements are already in place to support local authorities confronted by the financial consequences of responding to oil pollution incidents of the magnitude of the Braer and Sea Empress. The Executive will liaise closely with any local authorities which may find themselves in such circumstances and will offer appropriate assistance in support of claims for the recovery of clean-up costs.

  Responsibility for the cost of clean-up rests with the polluter and procedures for the recovery of those costs form an important part of contingency planning. In the case of spills from oil tankers this would be from the International Oil Pollution Contingency Fund; otherwise, it would be from the owner of the vessel or oilrig. However, I recognise local authorities’ concern that it frequently takes considerable time for costs to be recouped in this way. In this respect, the UK is in the lead in trying to update the international legal framework in order to provide a more effective means by which local authorities can receive timely and adequate payments of compensation for claims incurred as a result of marine pollution incidents. In certain cases it may also be possible to make funds available to a local authority under the Bellwin Scheme, for example, if it has to incur immediate revenue costs to safeguard life and property or to prevent suffering or severe inconvenience (such as shore properties becoming uninhabitable).

Ministerial Correspondence

Mr Alex Salmond (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Lord Advocate will reply to my letters of 13 March and 20 April 2000.

Colin Boyd QC: I replied to your two letters on Monday 5 June 2000.

Ministerial Correspondence

Mr Alex Salmond (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Deputy Minister for Rural Affairs will reply to my letter regarding my constituent Peter Strachan.

Mr John Home Robertson: I replied to Mr Salmond’s letters of 22 March and 1 May on 4 April and 5 June respectively.

Ministerial Correspondence

Mr Alex Salmond (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Rural Affairs will reply to my letter dated 18 April 2000 regarding my constituent Mr Noden.

Ross Finnie: The reply to which you refer was sent on 31 May 2000.

NHS Trusts

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many clinical posts have been gained or lost since the reorganisation of the NHS Trusts in the Greater Glasgow Health Board area, broken down by Trust.

Susan Deacon: Information on the number of clinical posts in each NHS Trust is not collected by the NHS in Scotland. Information on the number of medical and dental posts is collected as at 30 September each year. Information on the position at April 1999, the date of reorganisation, was not collected.

  The numbers of career and training grade medical and dental staff in post show an increase of 21 career grade clinicians and 13 postgraduate training grades for the Trusts in Greater Glasgow Health Board area between 30 September 1998 and 30 September 1999.

  Due to the restructuring of the NHS in Scotland in April 1999, Trust level comparisons before and after reorganisation cannot be made. However, details on the number of medical and dental staff in post on 30 September for all Trusts in Greater Glasgow area before and after reorganisation are shown in attached tables 1 and 2. The tables should be read in conjunction with the notes below.

  Table 1: Medical and dental staff in post in the NHS in Greater Glasgow Health Board area. Headcount at 30 September 1999

  


 


Career4


Training5


All 
grades




Greater 
Glasgow Health Board6


1,165


1,266


2,418




Greater 
Glasgow Health Board Headquarters


25


6


31




Yorkhill 
NHS Trust


140


122


262




South 
Glasgow University Hospitals NHS Trust


236


276


512




North 
Glasgow University Hospitals NHS Trust


646


786


1,432




Greater 
Glasgow Primary Care NHS Trust


179


77


256




  Table 2: Medical and dental staff in post in the NHS in Greater Glasgow Health Board area. Headcount at 30 September 1998

  





Career4


Training5


All 
grades




Greater 
Glasgow Health Board6


1,120


1,253


2,371




Greater 
Glasgow Health Board Headquarters


26


6


32




Southern 
General Hospital NHS Trust


144


164


308




Yorkhill 
NHS Trust


141


125


266




Victoria 
Infirmary NHS Trust


104


116


220




West Glasgow 
Hospitals University NHS Trust


243


309


552




Glasgow 
Royal Infirmary University NHS Trust


171


290


461




Stobhill 
NHS Trust


90


120


210




Greater 
Glasgow Community & Mental Health Services NHS Trust


180


76


256




Glasgow 
Dental Hospital & School NHS Trust


106


48


154




  Note to both tables:

  1. Source: Medical and Dental Manpower Census, ISD Scotland.

  2. Staffing data is collected once a year, as at 30 September.

  3. Data as at 30 September 1999 is provisional.

  4. Career numbers are all grades except house officer and registrar grades.

  5. Training numbers are for senior house officer, house officer, registrar, senior registrar and specialist registrar.

  6. There is an element of double counting in board figures as some doctors hold contracts in more than one trust.

NHS Trusts

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many managerial posts have been gained or lost since the reorganisation of the NHS Trusts in the Greater Glasgow Health Board area, broken down by Trust.

Susan Deacon: As a result of Trust reconfiguration the number of Trusts in the Greater Glasgow Health Board area halved from eight to four; as a result the number of chief executive and executive director posts reduced from 40 to 20. Information on the number of other managerial posts is not available centrally.

NHS Trusts

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many performance bonuses or merit awards have been paid out and to what total value since the reorganisation of the NHS Trusts in the Greater Glasgow Health Board area, broken down by Trust.

Susan Deacon: The payment of performance bonuses to staff working in NHS Trusts is a matter for Trust management. No central records are held. New arrangements for the pay of Trust chief executives and executive directors were introduced from 1 April this year. These arrangements are backed by rigorous performance management measures which are designed to ensure that pay progression is directly linked to demonstrable improvements in the delivery of patient care and other services.

  Distinction awards (formerly known as merit awards) are granted on the advice of the Scottish Advisory Committee on Distinction Awards to NHS consultants in recognition of outstanding professional work. In the 1999 round the following awards were granted:

  


Trust/Board


Awards


Value 
(£)




Greater 
Glasgow Health Board


2


49,280




Greater 
Glasgow PC Trust


1


24,640




N. Glasgow 
Hospitals Trust


11


412,750




S. Glasgow 
Hospitals Trust


6


237,180




Yorkhill 
Trust


2


49,280

Planning

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether local authorities are in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights when approving their own planning applications.

Sarah Boyack: Local authorities cannot grant themselves planning permission for development which they propose to carry out. They are required to follow the procedures set out in the Town and Country Planning (Development by Planning Authorities) (Scotland) Regulations 1981 in cases of such development. Those regulations make provision in certain circumstances for the deemed grant of planning permission by the Scottish Ministers. The Scottish Ministers do not consider that the existing rules about this matter give rise to an infringement of the European Convention of Human Rights.

Police

Alasdair Morgan (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the £233,000 extra funding for Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary is for the current year only or is an ongoing spending commitment year-on-year.

Mr Jim Wallace: The £233,000 allocated to Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary was part of the Scottish Executive’s recent investment of £8.9 million in the police and was designed primarily to allow recruitment of more police officers. The increase will be taken into account in reviewing allocations for future years.

Police

Alasdair Morgan (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what estimate it has made of the government funding to be made available to Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary in each of the next four financial years.

Mr Jim Wallace: Spending Review 2000 is presently examining overall funding requirements for 2002-03 and 2003-04. Decisions have not been taken on the level of funding to individual police authorities for the next four successive financial years.

Police

Alasdair Morgan (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what efficiency savings each police force has to make as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Comprehensive Spending Review concluded that the police service in Scotland should make efficiency savings of 1% in 1999-2000, 1.7% in 2000-01 and 2.5% in 2001-02.

Public/Private Partnerships

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether Partnerships UK will have a role in supporting Public/Private Partnerships in Scotland.

Mr Jack McConnell: I am pleased to be able to announce that the Executive will take a financial interest in Partnerships UK, launched today, in a bid to ensure Scottish projects and interests are safeguarded.

  Public/Private Partnerships have a significant role to play in delivering our agenda for new schools and hospitals. Last June I announced important reforms to the way we are taking forward these partnerships in Scotland to ensure better safeguards for the public and staff interest and greater transparency in the process.

  The new body - itself a new PPP - will initially support schools projects for East and Midlothian, and refurbished primary schools for Glasgow City Council as well as a ground-breaking e-commerce project for the Scottish Tourist Board.

Rail Network

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will confirm its commitment to the Larkhall rail link in the light of the threat to DAKs Simpson jobs in Larkhall and the need to improve the transport infrastructure of the town, and when the link can be expected to open.

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will report on progress in finalising the proposed Private Finance Initiative scheme for the Larkhall railway.

Sarah Boyack: The Larkhall to Milngavie rail route project is the responsibility of the Strathclyde Passenger Transport Authority as the public passenger transport body for the area. The Scottish Executive regards this as an important project. The authority was awarded £5 million of additional capital consent to develop it under the Public/Private Partnership arrangements. Following submission of the authority’s Outline Business Case a number of issues still need to be resolved before the authority completes its Final Business Case for the project.

  Following receipt of the Final Business Case, which is expected in summer 2000, a decision will be taken about the project’s suitability for level playing field support under the private finance arrangements.

Rail Network

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will report on progress in finalising the proposed Private Finance Initiative scheme for the Larkhall railway.

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what funds it may make available for the electrification of the Scottish rail network.

Sarah Boyack: I refer the member to the answer I gave to question S1W-4514.

Rail Network

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to ScotRail asking it to reconsider its withdrawal of the service stop for Kingussie on the 10.10 Glasgow to Inverness service and its plans to withdraw a similar service stop for Kingussie on the 17.40 Edinburgh to Inverness service.

Sarah Boyack: All proposed timetable changes have to be presented for consideration to the Passenger Transport Executives, User Representatives, local authorities and the shadow Strategic Rail Authority before they can be adopted. This process has been applied to changes on summer services between Inverness and Edinburgh/Glasgow, including stops at Kingussie, and agreed to by the relevant bodies. Changes to the winter timetable, including the 17:40 from Edinburgh to Inverness, are currently under consideration.

Road Safety

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the recent announcement that local authorities have been allocated £5.2 million for safe routes to school, whether any of this money can be spent on cycle proficiency training.

Sarah Boyack: Local authorities have been allocated additional capital consents, totalling £5.2 million, to take forward work on the implementation of safer routes to school. It will be for individual authorities to take decisions on the specific measures to be implemented in their areas having regard to local needs and priorities. Measures could include capital expenditure to facilitate the provision of cycle proficiency training.

Road Safety

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the recent announcement that local authorities have been allocated £5.2 million in this financial year for safe routes to school, whether there will be similar levels of expenditure available in subsequent years for this initiative.

Sarah Boyack: The Executive’s current spending plans for 2001-02 and later years do not make specific provision for further expenditure by local authorities on safer routes to school. Local authorities will, however, continue to receive a block allocation for expenditure on a number of services including transport. This system gives authorities the flexibility to allocate resources in accordance with locally determined priorities.

Roads

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Midlothian Council to ask them to hold a local public inquiry in relation to the A701 and in particular into its financing, any economic benefits and public transport alternatives not previously considered by the Executive.

Sarah Boyack: No. The Scottish Executive has no further locus and it is entirely a matter for Midlothian Council to consider whether they wish to hold an inquiry under whatever powers may be available to them.

Roads

Alasdair Morgan (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what amounts have been spent upgrading (a) the A75, (b) the A76 and (c) the A77 in each of the last ten years.

Sarah Boyack: Capital expenditure on trunk road improvements and repairs on the A75, A76 and A77 since 1996 (the period for which information is available) was £8.55 million, £3.12 million and £36.75 million respectively. The figures exclude revenue expenditure on routine cyclical and winter maintenance.

Scottish Executive Staff

Ms Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when and where the position of head of its External Relations Division was advertised.

Ms Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many applicants there were for the position of head of its External Relations Division and how many applicants for the post were interviewed and by whom.

Ms Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the appointment of the new head of its External Relations Division required ministerial approval.

Mr Jack McConnell: The post of Head of External Relations Division in the Executive Secretariat was filled by assignment as part of a round of moves for Heads of Division within the Scottish Executive to fill vacancies arising from retirement and promotion and for career development purposes. Decisions on postings for Senior Civil Servants are taken by Scottish Executive senior management and do not require the approval of Ministers.

Scottish Executive Staff

Ms Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the new head of its External Relations Division will start in post.

Mr Jack McConnell: The new head took up post on 1 June 2000.

Teachers

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many teachers were employed in the north east, broken down by local authority and by category of school, in each of the last five years.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The attached tables show the latest information available on the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) teachers who were employed in publicly funded schools in September of each of the years 1994-98 inclusive.

  This information has been provided for all local authorities in Scotland, and by educational sector.

  


Number 
of Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) publicly funded teachers in 
the pre-school sector by local authority, September (1994 - 1998)







September







1994


1995


1996


1997


1998




Scotland


973


1,021


1,031


1,175


1,365




Aberdeen 
City


73


70


72


75


93




Aberdeenshire


39


42


43


55


69




Angus


19


18


22


26


31




Argyll 
& Bute


4


4


4


4


11




Clackmannanshire


13


13


13


13


16




Dumfries 
& Galloway


26


24


25


32


33




Dundee 
City


48


55


59


56


53




East Ayrshire


17


17


17


22


26




East Dunbartonshire


3


3


3


24


21




East Lothian


24


26


25


37


41




East Renfrewshire


10


10


12


17


20




Edinburgh, 
City of


121


152


123


129


164




Eilean 
Siar


0


0


0


1


3




Falkirk


33


34


35


36


36




Fife


93


93


101


97


101




Glasgow 
City


148


148


143


142


146




Highland


20


19


25


44


50




Inverclyde


13


12


12


15


15




Midlothian


26


24


25


26


27




Moray


18


18


17


19


26




North 
Ayrshire


6


6


17


21


23




North 
Lanarkshire


38


36


36


48


67




Orkney 
Islands


4


4


5


5


7




Perth 
& Kinross


25


27


34


35


47




Renfrewshire


25


37


25


27


25




Scottish 
Borders


12


14


14


25


31




Shetland 
Islands


10


10


10


10


13




South 
Ayrshire


5


5


12


16


21




South 
Lanarkshire


19


21


20


32


61




Stirling


20


18


19


20


24




West Dunbartonshire


23


21


21


21


18




West Lothian


41


42


42


46


48




  


Number 
of Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) publicly funded teachers in 
the primary sector by local authority, September (1994 - 1998)







September







1994


1995


1996


1997


1998




Scotland


22,658


22,550


22,483


22,189


22,508




Aberdeen 
City


795


807


809


795


829




Aberdeenshire


1,182


1,145


1,158


1,127


1,155




Angus


508


511


495


490


502




Argyll 
& Bute


445


449


452


447


443




Clackmannanshire


212


210


212


216


217




Dumfries 
& Galloway


694


690


681


678


703




Dundee 
City


670


675


697


650


643




East Ayrshire


556


550


546


538


538




East Dunbartonshire


466


468


473


479


480




East Lothian


366


375


377


398


405




East Renfrewshire


365


378


383


384


395




Edinburgh, 
City of


1,499


1,488


1,480


1,491


1,509




Eilean 
Siar


197


197


199


197


195




Falkirk


565


561


578


587


587




Fife


1,611


1,640


1,623


1,625


1,646




Glasgow 
City


2,735


2,675


2,619


2,458


2,432




Highland


1,127


1,107


1,110


1,081


1,098




Inverclyde


385


385


371


365


363




Midlothian


371


367


372


377


391




Moray


441


427


425


418


428




North 
Ayrshire


612


601


597


596


605




North 
Lanarkshire


1,484


1,482


1,485


1,472


1,482




Orkney 
Islands


125


124


122


124


124




Perth 
& Kinross


581


580


572


572


583




Renfrewshire


713


726


712


715


740




Scottish 
Borders


474


477


485


486


500




Shetland 
Islands


178


178


182


184


182




South 
Ayrshire


469


470


453


449


448




South 
Lanarkshire


1,319


1,305


1,300


1,285


1,318




Stirling


340


336


346


351


370




West Dunbartonshire


456


442


445


425


445




West Lothian


719


726


724


732


751




  


Number of Full-Time Equivalent 
(FTE) publicly funded teachers in the secondary sector by 
local authority, September (1994 - 1998)







September







1994


1995


1996


1997


1998




Scotland


24,534


24,593


24,265


23,871


24,090




Aberdeen 
City


879


855


861


861


868




Aberdeenshire


1,126


1,100


1,102


1,110


1,136




Angus


565


565


562


568


573




Argyll 
& Bute


455


456


456


446


444




Clackmannanshire


220


221


219


220


228




Dumfries 
& Galloway


775


799


755


792


817




Dundee 
City


744


750


733


687


714




East Ayrshire


593


613


591


586


582




East Dunbartonshire


630


628


628


615


619




East Lothian


349


356


354


359


367




East Renfrewshire


476


481


481


483


490




Edinburgh, 
City of


1,408


1,430


1,399


1,388


1,428




Eilean 
Siar


228


226


223


218


216




Falkirk


636


641


637


663


660




Fife


1,689


1,734


1,728


1,703


1,733




Glasgow 
City


2,477


2,431


2,401


2,227


2,214




Highland


1,250


1,279


1,278


1,259


1,256




Inverclyde


467


458


437


437


435




Midlothian


401


404


398


405


395




Moray


464


478


463


454


466




North 
Ayrshire


705


691


686


673


661




North 
Lanarkshire


1,808


1,781


1,745


1,706


1,710




Orkney 
Islands


135


134


132


136


137




Perth 
& Kinross


612


613


609


594


613




Renfrewshire


889


886


866


837


837




Scottish 
Borders


510


528


535


530


540




Shetland 
Islands


204


198


201


210


211




South 
Ayrshire


587


594


588


581


573




South 
Lanarkshire


1,557


1,558


1,546


1,484


1,491




Stirling


437


434


424


427


439




West Dunbartonshire


521


510


488


477


492




West Lothian


739


761


740


736


745




  


Number 
of Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) publicly funded teachers in 
the special sector by local authority, September (1995-1998)







September







1995


1996


1997


1998




Scotland


1,666


1,677


1,699


1,875




Aberdeen 
City


108


95


94


102




Aberdeenshire


61


56


59


65




Angus


0


0


0


0




Argyll 
& Bute


20


15


15


15




Clackmannanshire


11


11


11


11




Dumfries 
& Galloway


12


9


7


7




Dundee 
City


41


45


45


45




East 
Ayrshire


36


35


36


33




East 
Dunbartonshire


27


29


30


39




East 
Lothian


0


0


0


0




East 
Renfrewshire


8


9


10


10




Edinburgh, 
City of


216


224


223


232




Eilean 
Siar


0


0


0


0




Falkirk


52


52


57


78




Fife


88


77


75


84




Glasgow 
City


437


458


454


509




Highland


28


28


28


30




Inverclyde


28


30


35


37




Midlothian


33


34


35


37




Moray


15


8


6


6




North 
Ayrshire


29


35


40


42




North 
Lanarkshire


124


129


132


154




Orkney 
Islands


7


7


5


5




Perth 
& Kinross


12


11


11


12




Renfrewshire


66


70


73


74




Scottish 
Borders


1


0


0


5




Shetland 
Islands


0


0


0


0




South 
Ayrshire


25


25


19


21




South 
Lanarkshire


105


113


120


124




Stirling


11


10


10


20




West Dunbartonshire


40


40


41


41




West Lothian


26


26


33


37




  Notes:

  The September 1994 figures for the special sector have not been included in the above table. This is due to a change in the way information on teachers in this sector was collected between the 1994 and 1995 School Census. Therefore, results prior to September 1995 are not comparable with more recent figures.

Working Groups

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish, with regard to its Homelessness Task Force, the criteria for selecting the individual members of the task force, its budget allocation and details of the number of times it has met so far.

Jackie Baillie: The membership of the Homelessness Task Force is drawn from a number of statutory, voluntary and professional bodies. The statutory and professional bodies, such as CoSLA and the Association of Directors of Social Work, were invited to put forward individual nominations for membership. Invitations to the voluntary organisations were made to the Directors of the voluntary organisations concerned. The task force does not hold a budget, but the Scottish Executive reimburses members for travel and associated expenses incurred in carrying out the group’s work. To date the group has met on nine occasions.

Working Groups

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish, with regard to its Leadership Advisory Panel, the criteria for selecting the individual members of the panel, its budget allocation and details of the number of times it has met so far.

Mr Frank McAveety: Members were selected to bring a variety of perspectives to the remit of the group, in the light of the McIntosh report’s recommendation that the group should include strong representation from local government and also a strong independent element.

  The total budget for the panel for 2000-01 is £20,000 to meet the travel costs for visits to councils and panel meetings, and the expected publication costs of the panel’s final report. None of the panel members is receiving any remuneration over and above incidental travel and subsistence expenses.

  Since the panel was established, there have been seven full panel meetings and 36 meetings with individual councils. Panel members are now starting a second round of meetings with individual councils. In addition, a number of further full panel meetings will take place between now and the end of the LAP process.

Working Groups

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish, with regard to its Part V (Police Act 1997) Voluntary Issues Review, the criteria for selecting the individual members of the review group, its budget allocation and details of the number of times it has met so far.

Mr Jim Wallace: Leading figures from key voluntary organisations, who had expressed keen interest in Part V issues, were invited to participate in the Review Group and to represent the views of their members. The group is chaired by Jackie Baillie, the Deputy Minister for Communities, and has met on four occasions so far. It has no dedicated budget.

Working Groups

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish, with regard to its Working Group on Houses in Multiple Occupation Guidance, the criteria for selecting the individual members of the working group, its budget allocation and details of the number of times it has met so far.

Jackie Baillie: The Working Group on Houses in Multiple Occupation Guidance was established in July 1999 to oversee the preparation of guidance to local authorities on the establishment and administration of the proposed mandatory licensing scheme in their areas. The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, the Scottish Council for the Single Homeless, the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, the Chartered Institute of Housing and the Royal Institute for Environmental Health in Scotland were invited to nominate members. The Scottish Executive laid down no criteria for selection. The group is an advisory body and has no dedicated budget allocation. The group has so far met four times on 3 September 1999, 29 October 1999, 6 December 1999 and on 4 February 2000 respectively.

Working Groups

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish, with regard to its Supporting People Stakeholders’ Group, the criteria for selecting the individual members of the group, its budget allocation and details of the number of times it has met so far.

Jackie Baillie: The Supporting People Stakeholders’ Group was established in January 2000. The Scottish Council of Voluntary Organisations, the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, Scottish Homes, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, the Scottish Council for the Single Homeless and the Scottish Health Board Managers Group were invited to nominate members. The Scottish Executive laid down no criteria for selection. The group is an advisory group and has no dedicated budget allocation. It has so far met twice, on 19 January and 24 March respectively.

Working Groups

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the individual members, together with their remuneration and expenses, of the (i) Common Repairs Working Group, (ii) Single Social Tenancy Working Group, (iii) Homelessness Task Force and (iv) Renewing Local Democracy Group.

Ms Wendy Alexander: (i) The Common Repairs Working Group comprises representatives of the following organisations:

  Scottish Executive

  Scottish Consumer Council

  Scottish Homes

  CoSLA (Convention of Scottish Local Authorities)

  CIH (Chartered Institute of Housing in Scotland)

  SFHA (Scottish Federation of Housing Associations)

  STO (Scottish Tenants Organisation)

  Queens Cross Housing Association

  The group has no budget nor have any expenses been paid to members.

  (ii) The Single Social Tenancy Working Group comprises members of the following organisations:

  Scottish Executive

  CoSLA

  Scottish Homes

  SFHA

  STO

  TPAS (Tenant Participation Advisory Service)

  TIS (Tenants Information Service)

  TIGHRA (Tenant Involvement in the Islands Grampian and Highland Rural Areas)

  Shelter

  CIH

  The group has no budget nor have any expenses been paid to members.

  (iii) The membership of the Homelessness Task Force is as follows:

  Deputy Minister for Communities, Jackie Baillie MSP, Chair

  Mr Robert Aldridge, Director, Scottish Council for Single Homeless

  Ms Pat Bagot, Policy and Practice Manager, Scottish Homes

  Mr David Belfall, Head of Group, Development Department, Scottish Executive

  Ms Suzanne Fitzpatrick, Department of Urban Studies, Glasgow University

  Councillor Rita Miller, Convener of Community Services, South Ayrshire Council

  Ms Liz Nicholson, Director, Shelter Scotland

  Mr David Orr, Director, Scottish Federation of Housing Associations

  Ms Catriona Renfrew, Director of Commissioning, Greater Glasgow Health Board

  Ms Hilary Reynolds, Department of Social Security

  Mr Bill Robertson, Director, Angus Council Social Work Services, representing the Association of Directors of Social Work

  Ms Margaret Taylor, Director, Glasgow Council for Single Homeless

  Mr Mark Turley, Director of Housing, Edinburgh City Council

  Mr Mel Young, Director, The Big Issue in Scotland

  The members of the group do not receive a salary or fee but are reimbursed for travel and associated expenses incurred in carrying out the group’s work.

  (iv) The membership of the Renewing Local Democracy Working Group is as follows:

  Richard Kerley, Chairman Director of the MBA degree at University of Edinburgh Management School; former councillor

  Vikram Lall, Corporate Finance Director of Bell Lawrie

  Marilyn Livingstone MSP

  Neil McIntosh, Former Chairman of the Commission on Local Government and the Scottish Parliament; former Chief Executive of Strathclyde Regional Council

  Cllr. Norman Murray, President CoSLA; councillor and leader of East Lothian Council

  Sandra Osborne MP

  Sheila Ritchie, Former leader of Gordon District Council

  Cllr. Daphne Sleigh, City of Edinburgh councillor

  Bill Speirs, General Secretary STUC

  Maureen Watt, Former Grampian Region councillor; former member of Commission on Local Government and the Scottish Parliament

  The members of the group do not receive a salary or fee but are reimbursed for travel and associated expenses incurred in carrying out the group’s work.

Working Groups

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the individual members, together with their remuneration and expenses, of the (i) Leadership Advisory Panel, (ii) Part V (Police Act 1997) Voluntary Issues Review, (iii) Working Group on Houses in Multiple Occupation Guidance and (iv) Supporting People Stakeholders’ Group.

Mr Frank McAveety: The details are as follows:

  Leadership Advisory Panel

  Alastair MacNish

  Anne Middleton

  Charlotte Stenhouse

  Professor Ian Percy

  Duncan McGhie

  Oonagh Aitken

  Pat Watters

  Maggie Symonds

  Members are entitled to claim travel and subsistence expenses at standard civil service rates, but receive no other remuneration. Members have been paid a total of £4,700 up to 31 May 2000.

  Part V (Police Act 1997) Voluntary Issues Review

  Jackie Baillie, Deputy Minister for Communities (Chair)

  Brian Magee, Volunteer Development Scotland (VDS)

  Susan Smith, Scottish Council for voluntary organisations (SCVO)

  George Johnston, Youthlink, Scotland

  Janette Wilson, Scottish Churches Committee

  George Clelland, Part V Project Manager, Scottish Criminal Record Office

  John Rowell, Scottish Executive, Police Division

  Jan Raitt, Scottish Executive, Police Division

  Peter Willman, Scottish Executive, Children & Families Division

  Fiona Warner, Executive Secretariat, Voluntary Issues Unit

  Sheena Maclaren, Scottish Executive, Police Division (Secretary)

  The group has no dedicated budget and no expenses have been paid to members. (The time they spend on the review and their minimal expenses for travelling etc are met from their employer’s running costs.)

  Houses in Multiple Occupation Working Group

  Richard Grant, Scottish Executive, Housing Division 2

  Bill Moore, Scottish Executive, Housing Division 2

  Colin Affleck, Scottish Executive, Housing Division 2

  Charles Stewart, Scottish Executive, HM Inspectorate of Fire Services

  Paul Stollard, Scottish Executive, Building Control Division

  Alison Brown, Scottish Council for Single Homeless

  Chris Campbell (from February 2000)

  David Gibb, Shelter

  Cathy King, CoSLA

  Mike Scott, CoSLA

  Paul D Letley, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors in Scotland

  Rod McCreath, Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland

  Alan McKeown, Chartered Institute of Housing in Scotland

  No remuneration or expenses are payable to members of the group.

  Supporting People Stakeholders Group

  Richard Grant, Scottish Executive, Housing Division 2

  Bill Moore, Scottish Executive, Housing Division 2

  Alister Murphy, Scottish Executive, Housing Division 2

  Fiona Ferguson, Scottish Executive, Housing Division 2

  Liz Lewis, Scottish Executive, Community Care Division 1

  John Breslin, Scottish Executive, Housing Divison 1

  Elizabeth Carmichael, Scottish Executive, Fire & Emergencies Group

  David Reid, Scottish Executive, Finance Division

  Ainslie McLaughlin, Scottish Executive, Local Government Division

  John Payne, Scottish Executive, Joint Futures Unit

  David Bookbinder, Scottish Federation of Housing Associations

  Robert Aldridge, Scottish Council for Single Homeless

  Laura Bannerman, CoSLA

  Fanchea Kelly, CoSLA

  Malcolm Mathieson, Scottish Council of Voluntary Organisations

  Pat Bagot, Scottish Homes

  Judi Wellden, Scottish Health Board Managers Group

  No remuneration or expenses are payable to members of the group.

Working Groups

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the individual members, together with their remuneration and expenses, of the (i) Race Equality Advisory Forum, (ii) Review of Councils for Voluntary Service, (iii) Strategic Review of Executive Funding to the Black and Ethnic Minority Voluntary Sector and (iv) Common Housing Registers Steering Group.

Jackie Baillie: Membership of these groups is detailed below.

  Members of groups (i), (ii) and (iii) are entitled to claim for travelling and subsistence expenses, which are paid in accordance with Scottish Executive staff rates. Remuneration and expenses of members of group (iv) are the concern of the individual organisations.

  (i) Race Equality Advisory Forum

  Saqib Abbasi

  Rowena Arshad

  Jackie Baillie (Chair)

  Ephraim Borowski

  Philomena DeLima

  Matthew Farrow

  Tesfu Gessesse

  Jatin Haria

  Subhash K Joshi

  Dharmendra Kanani

  Aziza Khand

  Martin MacEwen

  Shamime Mansoori

  Mukami McCrum

  Philip Muinde

  Dorothy Neoh

  Najimee Parveen

  Vijay Patel

  Robina Qureshi

  Selma Rahman

  Sofi Taylor

  Officials from the Equality Unit provide the Secretariat

  (ii) Review of Councils for Voluntary Service

  Jackie Baillie (Chair)

  Kath Gallagher

  Jon Harris

  Chris Higgins

  Adrienne Kelbie

  Margaret Wilson

  along with officials from the Scottish Executive. This group completed its work in January 2000.

  (iii) Strategic Review of Executive Funding to the Black and Ethnic Minority Voluntary Sector

  Ephraim Borowski

  Liz Burns

  Hilary Campbell

  Sandra Carter

  Jon Harris

  Hayat Hewitt

  Steven Marwick

  Dorothy Neoh

  Vijay Patel

  along with officials from the Scottish Executive.

  In addition to the current membership, a representative from the Council for Racial Equality will be invited to the next meeting, along with Mrs Linda Goldberg of Cosgrove Care, the Jewish Association for the Mentally Handicapped.

  (iv) The Common Housing Registers Steering Group

  The following organisations are represented on the Common Housing Registers Steering Group:

  Scottish Executive

  Chartered Institute of Housing

  CoSLA

  Shelter

  Scottish Federation of Housing Associations

  Scottish Homes.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Holyrood Project

Ms Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer on what date the secondment of the former Holyrood Project Director ceased.

Sir David Steel: 1 June 2000.

Holyrood Project

Ms Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer whether the Chief Executive of the Parliament has assumed all of the responsibilities of the former Holyrood Project Director.

Sir David Steel: The Corporate Body remains ultimately responsible for the Holyrood Project. Under the arrangements agreed with the Holyrood Progressing Group, the clerk will have delegated authority in respect of the management of the project though this will be exercised under the oversight of the Progressing Group. The day-to-day management of the project will be the responsibility of the Holyrood Project Director.

Holyrood Project

Ms Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer who will head the technical management of the Holyrood project during the recruitment period for a new Project Director.

Sir David Steel: John Gibbons, with support from existing members of the Project Team, will take on the responsibilities of the Project Director until such time as a permanent appointment is made.

Holyrood Project

Ms Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer who is overseeing any necessary change in operational arrangements for the Holyrood contract to allow for the addition of a new professional project director.

Sir David Steel: With the assistance of the clerk, the SPCB as the legal client for the Holyrood Project is overseeing any necessary changes .

Holyrood Project

Ms Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer when the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body expects Enrique Miralles to resume work on the Holyrood Project.

Sir David Steel: The Parliament’s commission for the design of the Holyrood building is with the joint venture company EMBT/RMJM, who have been working on the project continuously. The lead architect Enric Miralles has remained involved throughout his treatment and recuperation in America, and will shortly be returning to his office in Spain.